Snapper to Replace Vouchers in Wellington Taxis

2 October 2009

Total Mobility customers in the Wellington region will soon be able to pay for their taxi fares with a Snapper smartcard instead of paper vouchers.

This development is the result of a partnership signed last Friday, 9th October, between Snapper and Greater Wellington for its Total Mobility scheme, a subsidised taxi service for the 7500 people in the Wellington region who, because of a disability, cannot use regular bus or train services.

Snapper has been chosen by Greater Wellington to replace the out-dated paper voucher system, making it easier for taxi drivers, Total Mobility customers and Greater Wellington to provide a fast, reliable, and cost effective service to those that need it.

The solution will provide Total Mobility customers with a personalised photo ID card, with the Snapper smartcard chip built in. The card will remember the customer's details, identify them as a valid Total Mobility customer and apply the Total Mobility subsidy that is appropriate. Customers will then be able to use their Total Mobility Snapper card, or any other accepted method to pay for any taxi fares that apply.

Total Mobility customers are urged to send the necessary information, including a photograph of themselves, into Greater Wellington as soon as possible so their new cards can be created.

As part of the Total Mobility solution, Snapper will be installed in 1000 Wellington taxis by March 2010 and will be able to be used by any Snapper cardholder from that point. The full Total Mobility solution will then be available for all Total Mobility customers in Wellington from June 2010.

Miki Szikszai, CEO of Snapper Services Ltd, says “This is an exciting partnership for Snapper in a number of ways. Firstly, we are pleased to be delivering such an important project for Wellingtonians in partnership with regional government. Secondly, this is another way to show New Zealanders how versatile a Snapper card is. The Snapper system is open, meaning it is designed for use across different modes of transport and retail. We know it is perfect for New Zealanders no matter how they travel on public transport, and it is proven daily in over 10,000 buses, 6,000 metro train gates and 45,000 taxis in Seoul, South Korea.”

Peter Glensor, Chair of Greater Wellington's Transport and Access Committee, said the new smartcard system would be easy and convenient for our Total Mobility customers to use. “As well as being less of a hassle for customers than the paper vouchers, the new system will be more efficient, thus providing better value for money for our ratepayers.”

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